Saturday, April 07, 2012

Good Friday Reflections 2012

Good Friday 2012 is over. The last two weeks have been a fitting finish to a focused Lent, a time when one is supposed to make an effort to improve one's relationship with God, with one's family, with one's neighbor, etc.

Today over 700 people gathered to pray in front of an abortion mill, the modern day Golgotha. bishop Olmsted led the witnesses in the Rosary. The warm sun reminded people that standing for over an hour can be a challenge. The lack of shade made it a small sacrifice.   No one complained.  Many remained to hear testimony of the pain of abortion and the healing that comes from seeking God's forgiveness. Forgiveness. now there is a word in short supply in the nation today. Yet that is exactly what Good Friday is all about: forgiveness and reconciliation. 

The afternoon allowed for some reflection on these ideas. Some of my clients have had some especially difficult situations this past week. Over the last few weeks, between my travels to DC and San Francisco on pro-life business, i have felt the strain of being in two worlds at the same time. The HHS mandate, the national debate  on healthcare and abortion, the need for believers to find a strong voice to defend our First Amendment rights, have all demanded my attention. At the same time individuals are in their own personal crises and require my time. Their pain is especially compelling when it happens during Holy Week.

And so we lay our needs, our pains, our problems at the foot of the cross. We ask Our Lord to comfort those struggling in their marriages, those with estranged children or loved ones,  those who are alone and afraid, those with addictions and dependencies that they cannot seem to shake.  We ask for His mercy on all those involved in the abortion industry, those in government who allow it to continue, and those of us who fail to stand up and oppose the slaughter of God's most precious infants.

And we ask Him for the grace that comes during his sacred time to be men and women of courage and vision. We pray that our actions will turn this nation back to Him, that He may have mercy on us all, forgive our sins, and heal this land.

A blessed Easter to you all.